Elevator-door control.



H. C. RANDALL.

ELEVATOR DOOR CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-21,1916.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

WITNESSES:

MKQMW IN VEN TOR.

H. c. RANDALL.

HIS A TTORN E Y5 HORATIO C. RANDALL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELEVATOR-DOOR CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application filed November 21, 1916. Serial No. 132,548.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORATIO C. RANDALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Elevator-Door Control, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to doors for elevator shafts and particularly to means for closing and controlling the movement of such doors.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient means for closlng elevator doors.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for retarding or cushioning the movement of the elevator door as it approaches its closed and open positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing the opening of an elevator door while the elevator 'is in motion.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for preventing a movement of the elevator when a door is open.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the fore going, will be set forth at length 1n the following description where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In the drawing 1 have shown one specific embodiment of my invention,- but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form, because many changes, within the scope of the succeeding claims, may be made.

The drawing is anelevation, somewhat diagrammatic, of an elevator shaft with one open and one closed door, showing the door closing and control means of my invention.

In the drawing, the shaft door 2 isshown in the open position and the door 3 is shown in the losed position. Arranged in the ele vator shaft is a vertical wire 4 which is movable vertically. Attached to the lower end of the wire is a weight 5 which normally holds the wire in its lower position and the upper end of the wire is provided with suitable means for taking up the slack in the wire when it is raised, such as the counterweight 6 which is attached to a depending end of the wire which has been passed over rollers 7. The weight of the counter-weight is less than that of the weight 5, so that force is required to raise the wire. Secured to the w1re4 at suitable points are stops 8, there being one stop for each door. Secured to each door and passing over a roller 9 arranged at that side of the shaft toward which the door moves in closing, is a wire or othertension element.12 which is attached to a'sleeve 13 surrounding the wire 4 and arranged below its corresponding stop 8. Then all of the doors are closed and the wire 4. 1s in its lower position, the sleeves 13 are preferably in contact with the stops, and as any door is opened, the wire A and consequently, the weight 5 is raised. This places a continuous pull.on any open door tending to close it, and when the open door is released by the operator it is closed by the Weight 5. By this arrangement a single means is usedfor closing allof the doors and this means is continuously operative, so that a door may not he accidentally left open. The "pull of the weight is always effective on the open door, and the weight must be lifted as any door is opened and the weight closes the door when it isreleased.

Means are also provided for retarding. or cushioning the closing movement of the open door as it-approaches its closed position and for retarding the opening movement of the door as it approaches its full open position. Arranged adjacent the wire 1 is a dash-pot comprising cylinder 14 havlng a spring loaded piston 15 therein and the piston is connected by a lever 16 with a sleeve 17 on the wire 4. As the door approaches its extreme open position, the weight 5 or other stop on the wire 4 contacts with the sleeve 17 and forces the piston down in the cylinder, compressing the spring and the air therein. This retards the movement of the wire 4 and cushions the final opening movement of the door. The spring returns the piston to its initial position when the wire 4: is lowered in the closing movement of the door. An adjustable relief valve 18 on the cylinder is used to vary the degree of cushioning. A similar dash-pot 19 is used to cushion the final closing movement of the door due to the pull of the weight 5. which engages the piston in dash-pot 19 is a wire 22 which is arranged vertically in the shaft, the wire being provided with stops 23 arranged suitably adjacent each door. Arranged above or otherwise adjacent each door is a slide 24E which is at- Attached to the lever 21 tached to a bell crank 25, pivoted to the side of the elevator shaft and having an apertured end slidably engaging the wire 22, normally immediately below the corresponding stop 23. Secured to the door is a latch 26, which, as the door approaches its closed position, drops into a notch 27 on the slide, causing the slide to move with the door. The movement of the slide is transferred by the wire 22 to the cushioning dash-pot 19 and the movement of the door is retarded. Means are provided for releasing the latch from the slide as the door reaches its closed position, so that the door will close and lock, and so that the slide and the wire 22 may return to their normal positions, so that the wire 22 will be in place to cause the proper cushioning of the next door being closed. Arranged at the side of the slide is a weighted lever 28 hav ing a notch in its end which lies in the same plane as the notch in the slide. The latch 26 extends over that side of the slide on which the lever 28 is arranged, and as the slide moves the .latch moves into the notch in the lever 28. A further movement of the door causes the lever 28 to rock on its pivot and lift the latch from engagement with the slide so that the door .may be closed tightly, and the slide and wire released from connection with the door. The lever 28 is held in position to receive the latch by a suitable stop pin 29.

Means are provided for preventing the wire 4 from being moved upward and con se'quently the doors are prevented from being opened, when the elevator car is in motion. The motor which moves the elevator car is provided with brake shoes 31 which grip a movable part 32 of the motor when the motive power is turned off. Arranged on the brake shoes and insulated therefrom are contacts 33, which are brought into engagement when the brake is applied. This closes a local circuit containing an electromagnet 34 and a source of current 35, causing the electromagnet to be energized. Arranged on the weight 5 is a projection 36 which, when the weight is in its lower position, is disposed under the latch 37, so that the weight cannot be raised. The latch 37 is pivoted so that it may swing out of the path of the projection, and is arranged adjacent the electromagnet and constitutes- Means are also provided for causing the opening of a shaft door to open the electric.

control circuit for the car moving motor. Arranged adjacent the wire l is a switch or circuit breaker 39 which is disposed in the conductor 41 of the control circuit,which is connected to the controller in the elevator car. The switch arm is in sliding engagement with the wire a, and is normally held down, closing the circuit by a stop l2 attached to the wire. In the initial opening movement of any door, the wire a is raised, lifting the stop 42 from the switch arm, and the arm is then raised by the spring l3 to open the controller circuit. At the final closing movement of the door, the stop l2 comes in contact with the switch arm and closes the circuit. The car-moving motor, therefore, cannot be operated during the time that any shaft door is open.

I claim:

1. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft and loaded at its lower end, a plurality of stops on said wire, a plurality of sleeves on said wire, each arranged below a stop and each connected to a door whereby an opening movement of a door moves said wire vertically, a lever slidably engaging said Wire, a retarding piston connected to said lever, and means on the wire arranged to engage said lever after the wire has moved a. predetermined distance.

2. The combination with an elevator shaft, having a plurality of doors, of a movable element arranged adjacent each door, a dash pot connected to said elements and a projection on each door adapted to engage the adjacent element and operate said dash-pot as any door approaches its closed position.

3. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors, of a movable element arranged adjacent each door, a clashpot connected to said elements, a projection on each door adapted to engage said adjacent element and operate said dash-pot as the door approaches its closed position, and to disengage said element as the door reaches its closed position.

having a plurality of doors and anelevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in Sfild' shaft, means connecting the doors and the wire whereby an opening movement of any door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, a motor for driving the elevator, means for locking said wire against movement and means operative by the stopping of said motor for releasing-said locking means.

6. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft, means connecting each door and the wire whereby an opening movement of any door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, a motor for driving the elevator, a brake for said motor, means for locking said wire against movement and means operative by the application of said brake for releasing the locking means.

7. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft, a plurality of stops on said wire, a plurality of sleeves on said wire, each arranged below a corresponding stop and each connected to a door whereby'an opening movement of any door produces a vertical movement of the wire, a motor for driving the elevator, a brake on said motor, a latch for locking the wire against vertical movement, an electric circuit arranged to be closed by the application of said brake and electromagnetic means in said circuit arranged. to release said latch.

8. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft and. connected to the doors, whereby an opening movement of any door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, means for locking the wire in osition to prevent an opening movement 0 any door and means for releasing said locking means.

9. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft and connec ed to each door whereby an opening movement of a door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, means tending to hold the wire in fixed position and to return it to such position when moved therefrom, a latch arranged to lock the wire against movement when all of the doors are closed and a solenoid for operating said latch.

10. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft and connected to said doors so that an opening movement of any door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, a motor for driving the elevator, means for locking said wire against movement means operative by the stopping "of the motor for releasing said locking means and means operative by the movement of the wire for opening the motor circuit.

11. The combination with an elevator shaft having a plurality of doors and an elevator in said shaft, of a wire arranged vertically in said shaft and connected to said doors so that a movement of any door is accompanied by a movement of the wire, a motor for drivin the elevator, means for locking the wire in position to prevent the opening movement of any doorand means operative simultaneously with the stopping of the motor for releasing said locking means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this lth day of November 1916.

HORATIO o. RANDALL.

' In presence of- H. vGr. PROST. 

